Oct. 22, 1989
Eleven-year-old Jacob Wetterling is abducted by a masked gunman about 9:15 p.m. southeast of St. Joseph while riding his bike home with his brother and a friend after a trip to a convenience store. Firefighters and 35 officers from law enforcement agencies search the area. A state helicopter with a searchlight searches the nearby woods and fields. Searches are called off at 3 a.m. until daybreak.
Oct. 23, 1989
The search resumes at 8 a.m. Department of Natural Resources officers use all-terrain vehicles to search a 2-mile radius around the abduction site. Helicopters fly over a 25-square-mile area. A Minneapolis bloodhound leads officers to tire tracks, prompting officers to believe the kidnapper had a car nearby. By 1:30 p.m., fliers are distributed.
Oct. 25, 1989
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The FBI describes the abductor as a white man, 25-35 years old. About 600 people gather in St. Joseph Catholic Church to pray.
Oct. 26, 1989
At 11:30 a.m. about 30 horses and riders begin searching 1 mile east of St. Joseph. About 50 officers, including at least 20 FBI agents, sift through hundreds of tips. A group of anonymous Twin Cities business leaders offer a $100,000 reward for Jacob’s safe return.
Oct. 27, 1989
Officials release an artist’s sketch of a man who had tried to abduct a Stearns County boy earlier that summer, believing the two incidents could have involved the same man.
Oct. 29, 1989
From 7:30-10 p.m., roadblocks are set up in St. Joseph. About 2,000 motorists are stopped and questioned by the Minnesota State Patrol.
Nov. 3, 1989
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Authorities have questioned 100 potential suspects by now. They conduct a final ground search.
Nov. 4, 1989
A sketch of a 1970s Ford van is released. The van was believed to have been used in an earlier abduction attempt of a 10-year-old boy.
Dec. 14, 1989
Attention turns to links between Jacob’s abduction and the abduction and sexual assault of a 12-year-old Cold Spring boy in January. A sketch of the potential suspect is released. Details lead investigators to think the two could be related.
Jan. 16, 1990
The Wetterling family establishes the Jacob Wetterling Foundation, an advocacy group for children’s safety.
May 24, 1991
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U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger proposes a national registry of people who have committed crimes against children. The measure would be known as the Jacob Wetterling Act. It mirrors a Minnesota proposal.
May 2004
Media reports surface that link Jacob’s abduction to the abduction and sexual assault of the 12-year-old Cold Spring boy. The boy was taken 10 months before Jacob. The victim comes forward and says he believes links exist.
Summer 2010
Law enforcement converge on a rural St. Joseph Township farm. Officers from Stearns County, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and FBI search the site. Jacob was last seen at the end of the property’s driveway. Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner’s office reports that lab tests on materials gathered in June and July do not produce evidence in the case.
2014-2015
The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the FBI conducted a full, cold-case review of the Wetterling case. It resulted in the identification of leads and other avenues of investigation. Authorities say examination of DNA evidence connected Annandale’s Daniel Heinrich to a sexual assault case of a 12-year-old boy in Cold Spring 10 months before Jacob disappeared. On the basis of that evidence, authorities obtained a search warrant of Heinrich’s property. Authorities say evidence of child pornography was discovered.
Oct. 29, 2015
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Law enforcement announce child pornography charges for Heinrich and say he’s a person of interest in the disappearance of Wetterling.
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